Downfall by Kerry Kaya

Author:Kerry Kaya [Kaya, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-17T00:00:00+00:00

11

From across the bar, Terri Tempest eyed Rina with a level of suspicion. It hadn’t escaped her notice that over the past few weeks Rina had become more and more secretive, when under any normal circumstances she was an open book. Not only was her head forever in her phone but she would also disappear for hours on end, supposedly visiting friends.

Tossing a towel onto the bar Terri made her way towards the woman she viewed as her surrogate mother. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked.

Rina looked up from her phone, and hastily pushing the device back into her pocket, she gave a light laugh. ‘Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be?’

‘I don’t know.’ Terri’s forehead furrowed. ‘Only you look as though something is troubling you?’

Rina bit down on her bottom lip.

‘What is it?’ Terri asked, concerned. ‘Has something happened?’

‘No, nothing like that,’ Rina sighed. ‘I’ve met someone.’ She gave an unsure smile and as her gaze drifted up to the portrait of her late husband that sat behind the bar, the smile slid from her face. ‘Well not just met him as such,’ she said, flapping her hand. ‘I’ve known him for years, but in recent months we’ve become close.’

Terri’s eyebrows shot up and clasping Rina’s hand she offered a bright smile. ‘You’re a dark horse. Why didn’t you say anything?’

Rina glanced back to the photograph and sighed. ‘No one could ever replace my Archie…’

As she followed Rina’s gaze Terri nodded. She too had loved Archie and just like Rina, she had been left devastated when he’d been murdered by her uncle, Michael Murphy. ‘But…?’

Lifting her shoulders into a shrug, Rina’s cheeks flushed red. ‘I do like him. I suppose I always have really, not that I would have ever played around on my Archie, mind. I’m not that type of woman,’ she was quick to add, her expression becoming serious as she clasped Terri’s hand even tighter. ‘I would never have even entertained the notion of having another man in my life, let alone go that one step further and actually see it through. I could never have betrayed Archie; our marriage was rock solid; he was my everything.’

‘I know.’ Terri frowned. ‘You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I know how much you loved him.’

Rina nodded. ‘I just don’t want anyone to think badly of me.’ She motioned around the pub. ‘I don’t want any of this lot to assume that I’m some kind of harlot or that I didn’t waste much time when it came to replacing Archie.’

‘They won’t,’ Terri answered. ‘It’s been more than two years since he…’ She gave a sad smile. ‘Well, you know, since he was taken from us. And if I did hear anyone bad-mouthing you, I’d soon put them in their place, we all would.’

‘Oh, I know that,’ Rina giggled as she gave Terri’s hand a squeeze. ‘You’ve been an absolute godsend to me. I would never have survived if it hadn’t been for you helping me through the grief.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.